WEEK ST. MARY CHURCH STRUCK BY
LIGHTNINGnot once, twice, or even
thrice...!

According to the most recent
Miscellaneous Register,
pertaining to the church of Week
St. Mary, there were several
recorded instances of the tower
being struck by lightning. On
8th November 1878
the south-west pinnacle of the
tower was struck by lightning,
at 6.45 am, with no record of
any damage caused, if any. Other
occasions on which the tower was
struck are recorded as follows:
about 1688 the
north-east pinnacle struck and
during the winter months of
1812,
1843 and 1865
the north-east, south-east and
south-west pinnacles were
struck.

As
reported by The
Cornish & Devon
Post

£2,000
DAMAGE TO CHURCH

Lightning's
Havoc At Week
St. Mary

PINNACLE
CRASHES THROUGH
ROOF

Beams,
Lamps, And Pews
Smashed

A close
investigation
made yesterday
revealed that
damage estimated
at £2,000 was
done to the
ancient parish
church at Week
St. Mary, when
the tower was
struck by
lightning on
Thursday
afternoon after
a short, but
heavy,
thunderstorm.
One of the four
pinnacles
crashed,
portions going
through the roof
in several
places, and
inside the
church oak beams
splintered under
the weight of
the falling
masonry and
several of the
oil lamps that
illuminate the
interior were
smashed to
pieces.
The church doors
have been locked
and danger
notices have
been posted
around the
churchyard.
It is expected
that it will
take something
like six months
to repair the
church, and in
the meantime the
parish services
will be
conducted in the
rectory hall.

-----------------------------------------------------------

STORM UNEXPECTED

Crash Drowned By
Thunder Claps

The storm came
on with
surprising
suddenness.
About lunch-time
on Thursday the
weather was
almost perfect
at Week St.
Mary. Then,
without the
slightest
warning, the
village was
visited by a
sharp thunder
and hailstorm
that prevailed
in full force
for about 20
minutes, leaving
the highways
covered with
hail.
For a while no
one noticed the
damage to the
church amid the
noise of
repeated
thunder-claps.
Eventually, Mr.
Sandercock and
his brother, who
live about 200
yards away from
the church, left
their house to
examine their
bakehouse, upon
which a large
brick appeared
to have fallen.
It was then that
the damage to
the church was
first noticed.
Of the four
pinnacles at the
top of the
church tower
only three
remained, and
the churchyard
was strewn with
masonry. The
damaged tower
and the gaping
holes in the
roof beneath
told their own
story, and a
glance inside
the church
revealed the
chaos that the
lightning had
caused.

-----------------------------------------------------------

MONSTER
STONE

Fortunately,
there was no one
in or near the
church at the
time. The west
end of the
church
underneath the
tower was
covered by the
fallen masonry,
and one stone
weighing at
least a quarter
of a ton, had
crashed through
the roof and
broken several
oak beams. Many
oil-lamps and
pews (the latter
having been
placed in the
church only five
years ago) were
smashed.
In the
churchyard many
of the larger
stones had been
forced into the
earth to a depth
of a foot.
The present
rector of Week
St. Mary is Rev.
A. Hambrook. The
church, which
stands upon the
site of a Norman
church, was
thoroughly
restored in the
years 1876-1881,
at a cost of
over £2,000. The
re-seating of
the church in
English oak was
begun in 1926,
and finished in
January, 1930,
at a cost of
£600.

Reproduced by
kind permission
of the Cornish &
Devon Post

Damage to the porch and
roof is clearly seen in
this photograph

After a violent hailstorm at
1.25 p.m.
on Thursday 21st February 1935,
the south-east
pinnacle of the tower was struck
by lightning.

This photograph shows Oswald
Sandercock
pointing at the masonry brought
down
by the lightning strike.

...and as seen from the inside,
narrowly missing the font

The lightning strike brought
down the south-east pinnacle,
causing masonry to crash down
and smash through the roof,
causing such devastation that
the church had to be closed. An
appeal for funds was launched
immediately and repairs begun.
The opportunity was taken to
replace the variegated floor
tiles favoured by the Victorians
with stone slabs and the church
was duly re-opened for worship
on 16th January 1936.